Harbin Brewery Group chief executive Peter Lo Kar-sing sees narrowing the gap in corporate governance standards between China and the rest of the world as a key goal.
Mr Lo scooped an award from the Hong Kong Institute of Directors despite his firm de-listing from the Hong Kong exchange following Anheuser-Busch's takeover.
The company has seen many ownership changes but Mr Lo says a sound corporate governance structure means each transition has caused minimal disruption.
'Harbin Brewery first started as a joint-venture company, became a listed company in Hong Kong, and is now a subsidiary of a US-listed company. It is just like someone who has first changed his father and now has now also changed his mother,' Mr Lo said.
'But as long as the company has internal controls and a good disclosure system in place, it doesn't matter about all these changes.'
Born in Hong Kong and educated in Britain, Mr Lo worked for the ill-fated New China Hong Kong Group, leading to the establishment of Harbin Brewery Group, a 48-52 Sino-foreign joint venture, with the Harbin government.